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"If there is just part-time work, fine, at any hour, any job, even if I have to learn it from scratch," Garcia told us then.

And then described the difficulties for a single man -- he was then 48 -- in Spain's crisis. His jobless benefits had run out, he had almost no savings, and he said he was really getting by thanks to help from his elderly mother.

In October 2012, we covered the Spanish Red Cross's annual fundraiser that dates back more than a century and whose proceeds usually go to help people in disaster zones abroad. But for the first time, the money was being used to ease suffering at home, in Spain.

We checked in with Garcia again. He still had no job, and was not very optimistic.

Then came the joyous email about his new job. We went to update our story on him and found out there's some good news and some bad news.

Yes, he's working, but only for six months. At 50, he's learning all about tree trimming, earning minimum wage -- about $900 a month.

"It's a bit boring," Garcia said during a break. "But it's what there is. Since they've given you an opportunity, at least you're busy."

The Spanish government says the nation has been busy trying to get out of the economic crisis, and Spain's unemployment rate is finally starting to decline, although it's still 26% with 5.9 million people jobless.

Unions, citing government figures that the Ministry of Labor confirms, say about 1.2 million jobs are being created in Spain each month, but that most of them are part time and temporary. And a third of them last less than four hours a day.

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Garcia works five hours. He'd like to get more work but thinks his chances are slim because, he says, most companies aren't hiring older workers. He says he's too old to learn languages and move abroad, as many college-educated Spaniards, and even some without a degree, are doing, in search of work.